Landmark win for Sabah, Sarawak in Bill amendment failure, says STAR

10 Apr 2019 / 11:37 H.

KUCHING: The failure of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government to acquire a two-third majority to pass the Constitution Bill (Amendment 2019) is “a landmark for Sarawakians and Sabahans”, State Reform Party Sarawak (STAR) president Lina Soo (pix) said.

“The political maturity of the people of Sarawak and Sabah has reached new heights not seen since the formation of Malaysia,” she said in a statement today.

“For Sarawak, such esprit d’corp and nationalist sentiments have not been witnessed since the Anti-cession of 1940s, when Sarawak was annexed by Britain to become a Crown colony.”

Soo said the people’s level of awareness of political issues affecting the future of their states “is very much evident”.

The people had voiced out loud and clear, that any constitutional amendment without adhering to the principle of the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) must be rejected, she added.

She insisted that any constitutional amendment which would affect the political position of Sarawak and Sabah must first be brought before the State Legislative Assembly (DUN) for legitimacy.

She added that the federal government must always seek the consensus of non-governmental organisations (NGOs), civil societies and unrepresented Sarawak political parties to give voices to the people.

“The federal government must by now recognise and take heed that Sarawakians and Sabahans are not easy pushovers. In the past, the federal government could have their way and get away with anything, but not today.

”It is a clear cut case the people of Sarawak and Sabah have displayed their strong resolve to band together to secure their rights and sovereignty under the Rule of Law, be it national law, State law, and or international law,” said.

Soo believed that when circumstances dictated, the people of Sarawak and Sabah would not hesitate to unite to pursue all rights including their inalienable right to self-determination to decide their political,

economic and social future, always upon the constitutional, democratic and peaceful platform. — The Borneo Post